INTRODUCTION
1.
national power. The Nigerian Air Force, being a Service in the Nigerian
Armed Forces, is one of the instruments by which the nation can apply that
power. The Nigerian Air Force has the primary responsibility of defending
the Nigerian airspace by the use of air power and ensuring that other sister
Services enjoy favourable air situations in their respective areas of
operation.
2.
outcome of the Second World War and the Arab/Israeli wars. Also, air
power was the determining factor in the Falklands and Gulf Wars, as well as
the allied missions in Kosovo, Afghanistan and recently Libya. Again, the
impact of air power in the Economic Community of West Africa Monitoring
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3.
The size, structure and composition of the air force of any nation
SCOPE
4.
b.
c.
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D.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
5.
The need to establish an air force for Nigeria was not envisaged until
For instance, in
6.
Recruitment into the Nigeria Air Force began in 1962. However, it was
not until 1964 that the Legislative Act on the establishment of the Nigerian
Air Force was passed into law.
There shall be established and maintained in and for the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, an air force to be known as the Nigerian Air Force unquote. The
Act also states that the Nigerian Air Force shall be charged with the defence
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by air.
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7.
Additionally, the Armed Forces Act 105 further charged the Nigerian
a.
b.
c.
prescribe or direct.
8.
a.
the Federal Republic of Nigeria both in the air, sea and on land.
b.
Forces.
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c.
9.
Therefore, the
German Air Force was tasked to establish, equip and run the NAF, with a
view to eventually handing over to Nigerians. Consequently, some officer
cadets and airmen were sent to Germany for flying and technical training.
10.
11.
role in the successful execution of the Civil War. After the war, the NAF
was then faced with the problem of re-organization. The force structure
adopted was modelled after those of the Royal Air Force and the United
States Air Force.
organisation.
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12.
13.
There are some offices that also report directly to the CAS due to the
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14.
Now to the functions of the branches, starting with the Policy and
Plans Branch.
15.
responsible for formulating policies that provide guidance for the Nigerian
Air Force in terms of its operations, administration and all other matters
relating to the aerial defence of Nigeria. The directorates under the Policy
and Plans Branch are: Plans, Policy, Budget, Museum and Archives as
well as the Directorate of Transformation. The Policy and Plans Branch
came into existence in December 2008. Until then it was a directorate under
the office of the Chief of the Air Staff.
16.
17.
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The
Logistics
and
directorates,
namely:
the
Directorates
of
Logistics,
Works,
19.
Administration Branch.
The
Administration
Branch
makes
20.
The
Standards
and
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22.
the screen. These commands, which are functionally grouped, are the
Tactical Air Command, Mobility Command, Training Command and Logistics
Command.
23.
being assisted by a Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO). The SASO answers for
the AOC in his absence. The commands are further organized into
groups/depots headed by commanders. The groups/depots are organized
into wings/centres headed by commanding officers. The wings/centres are
further broken down into squadrons, which are commanded by officers
commanding while the squadrons are made up of flights headed by flight
commanders. All units that are co-located are supported by either a Base
Services Group or a Base Services Wing, depending on the size or number
of the units at the location.
24.
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a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Now, let us consider the commands one after the other, beginning with
Tactical Air Command (TAC).
TACTICAL AIR COMMAND
25.
The
Tactical
Air
Command
is
responsible
for
interpreting,
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MOBILITY COMMAND
26.
27.
The Mobility Command was established with the aim of enhancing the
Nigerian Air Force constitutional role of ensuring fast and versatile mobility
of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The new command, with headquarters in
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, is tasked with the responsibility of performing the
airpower roles of tactical and strategic airlift in support of military
operations and in direct support of the government. To be able to discharge
these responsibilities, the Command is organized into 7 units. The units
are 201 Heavy Airlift Group (201 HAG) Ikeja, 203 Medium Airlift Group (203
MAG) Ilorin and 205 Rotary Group (205 RG) Ikeja. Others are 207 Special
Mobility Group (207 SMG)
Abuja, 235 Base Services Group Yenagoa and 61 NAF Detachment Warri.
TRAINING COMMAND
28.
skilled and competent personnel. In other words, the availability of welltrained personnel is a major pre-requisite for operational effectiveness. The
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29.
School, Kaduna, 303 Flying Training School Kano and 305 Flying Training
School, Enugu. Others include 325 Ground Training Group located in
Kaduna, 330 NAF Station, Jos, 333 Logistics Group, 335 Base Services
Group (BSG) Kaduna, 337 BSG Enugu and 339 BSG Kano. For the Medical
units, we have 345 NAF Hospital Kaduna, 347 NAF Hospital Jos and 349
NAF Hospital Kano. It is important to note that each of these groups
mentioned, except the base services groups and NAF hospitals has one or
more specialized schools that train personnel in fields relevant to the
manpower needs of the NAF.
LOGISTICS COMMAND
30.
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AUTONOMOUS UNITS
31.
Apart from the 4 operational commands, there are some units which
are autonomous and report directly to HQ NAF. These units include Air
Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Kaduna, 101 Presidential Air Fleet
Abuja (101 PAF), 102 Aeromedical Centre and 103 Pay and Accounting
Group (103 PAG). Others are 104 Personnel Management
Group (104
PMG), 106 NAF Camp Abuja, 107 NAF Camp Lagos and 108 NAF Hospital
Abuja. We also have 109 Special Investigation Group (109 SIG) and
National Air Defence Corp both located at Ikeja as well as the NAF Quick
Response Force (QRF) Minna.
32.
Before considering the roles and capabilities of the NAF, I will give an
An Order of Battle
simply means the composition and deployment of a fighting force for battle.
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a.
Alpha Jet.
b.
L-39.
Republic and is used for conducting basic jet training of NAF pilots.
The aircraft has recently been fitted with armaments and weapon
systems from the decommissioned MiG 21 by NAF engineers and
armament personnel. Firing tests have been successfully conducted
therefore the aircraft could be rerolled to carry out ground attack
missions.
c.
MB 339.
primarily a basic flying trainer like the L-39. However, recent policy
has called for an upgrade on the navigation and weapons systems
and the incorporation of advanced radar. This will enable the aircraft
to be employed in both ground attack and reconnaissance roles. The
aircraft fleet is currently undergoing maintenance and systems
upgrade in Italy.
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d.
e.
aircraft used mainly for light liaison and VIP flights. It is also
employed for Paratrooping exercise.
f.
originally in the Presidential Air Fleet and was donated to the NAF by
the Presidency to augment its transport aircraft fleet. Like the DO
228, the Citation II is a light transport aircraft and is currently used
mainly for VIP flights.
g.
h.
Mi-24/Mi-35 Helicopters.
helicopter and its export version; the Mi-35 helicopter are primarily
designed as helicopter gunships for air assault and close air support.
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They can each land or rappel a section of troops and support it from
the air with gunfire, rockets and missiles.
i.
A109 helicopters are employed for light utility transport and basic pilot
training. They are also expected to fulfil search and rescue as well as
reconnaissance roles.
j.
ATR 42 MPA. The NAF has also inducted into its inventory the
k.
l.
Air Beetle. Last but not the least in the NAF aircraft inventory
is the Air Beetle aircraft. The Air Beetle was built in Nigeria by a joint
partnership of Dornier Aviation Nigeria AIEP (DANA) and the Nigerian
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Air Force. The aircraft is used as a primary trainer for ab-initio flying
training.
33.
proceed to discuss the roles of the Nigerian Air Force in the defence of our
national air space, vis--vis air power and its components. Before I proceed
further, please note that the Nigerian Air Force is a tactical air force. A
tactical air force is any air force primarily designed to conduct operations
within a theatre of war in support of surface forces. It is therefore, limited
in reach and capability.
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forces. This can be achieved if we detect, intercept and destroy the enemy
before his offensive action is brought to bear on own forces.
35.
36.
The provision of close air support to our surface forces is another role
of the NAF. Close air support operations are conducted on request by the
army or naval commanders within their theatre of operation. Close air
support operations are aerial attacks against targets, which are so close to
friendly forces that detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and
movement of own surface forces is necessary. Close air support provides
quick results and has the additional effect of raising the morale of friendly
forces. As modern wars are swift and fluid, extensive support may have to
be provided within a short time to ensure a favourable outcome. The Alpha
Jet and the Mi-24 and Mi-35 assault helicopter gunships can fulfil this role.
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AIR INTERDICTION
37.
38.
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39.
The main aircraft employed for this role in the NAF was the Jaguar
ground attack aircraft which has since been decommissioned. However, the
F-7NI will now be employed in this role.
be moved more rapidly than can be done by land and sea. This can be
achieved through tactical and strategic movement of land forces, delivery of
airborne forces into battle areas and evacuation of casualties from the war
front. However, air transport aircraft can operate effectively only where a
high degree of control of the air exists or in areas where they will be
relatively free from enemy interference.
41.
The NAF, being a tactical air force, has the capability to carry men
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42.
The NAF, as part of its roles, conducts maritime air operations over
43.
Another important role of the NAF is search and rescue. Search and
rescue operations in the NAF have been of a limited nature, but suffice it to
say that all aircraft in NAF inventory can perform search operations.
However, only the ATR 42 MP aircraft, Super Puma, Agusta 109 LUH and
Mi-24/Mi-35 helicopters can be employed for rescue operations. For
example, the ATR 42 MP aircraft has the capability to locate a human being
in water, deploy 2 survival rafts capable accommodating between 11-18
persons each with ration to last a few days. It is also capable of deploying
an Automatically Deployed/Automatic Fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter
(AD/AF ELT) as well as colour cartridges to mark and guide cooperating
vessels towards a search and rescue effort.
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AIR RECONNAISSANCE
44.
45.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
The Nigerian Air Force over the years has gradually inclined towards
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